It took a while for the first New England native to be selected
in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, but once they started coming,
they kept coming all day long.

Harvard recruit Ryan Donato, son of Harvard University coach and
former star Ted Donato (Dedham, Mass.), was the first New Englander
taken in the second round of the 2014 NHL draft at the Wells Fargo
Center in Philadelphia. He was the first of 11 selected on the
second day of the June 27-28 event, and among the 65 total
Americans chosen on the weekend. Donato went 56th overall to
dad’s old club, the hometown Boston Bruins, but will first
join his father with the Crimson in 2015-16.

“Such an honor being handed that jersey from Cam Neely
today,” said the younger Donato on Twitter following his
selection.

Last season at the Dexter School, Donato (Scituate, Mass.)
registered 37 goals and 41 assists for 78 points in 30 games. In
two campaigns at the Brookline institution, he put up 66-72-138
points in 57 outings and also spent time skating with the Cape Cod
Whalers. He is expected to play in the United States Hockey League
before heading to Cambridge late next year.

The second round also saw Johnathan MacLeod (Dracut, Mass.)
taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning (57th overall). The Boston
University recruit had two goals and five assists in 44 games for
the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team
based in Michigan. He also prepped scholastically with Kimball
Union Academy earlier in his career.

“Johnathan is a hard-nosed defensive defenseman who
consistently plays physical, usually against the top forwards on
the other team,” said Lightning director of amateur scouting
Al Murray. “That’s the matchup the Team USA coaches
used him in. With the puck he keeps things simple with good, quick
passes to the wings to start the play, and then follows it
well.”

“He’s a really good, physical defenseman,”
added U.S. Under-18 head coach Danton Cole. “He has excellent
skills, moves the puck well and has a good feeling for the
game.”

In the third round, Miles Gendron (Shrewsbury, Mass.), who will
play at the University of Connecticut next season as the Huskies
join Hockey East, was chosen 74th overall by the Ottawa Senators.
He had 19 points in 22 games on defense a year ago for Rivers
School. Beau Starrett (Bellingham, Mass.), who averaged nearly a
point per game for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s South
Shore Kings last year with 47 points in 48 contests, was taken 88th
overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6-foot-5 center/left wing is
committed to Cornell University.

Shane Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.), a center/right wing who had
16 goals and 40 points last season for the USHL’s Dubuque
Fighting Saints, was the lone New England native picked in the
fourth round. He went to Ottawa at No. 100 overall, although his
next stop will be the University of New Hampshire.

Max Willman (Barnstable, Mass.) was the first of three New
Englanders who heard his name called in the fifth round. The Brown
University recruit, who was chosen No. 121 overall by the Buffalo
Sabres, posted 21 goals and 44 points in 2013-14 at
Williston-Northampton.

“I like to push the pace in the neutral zone and attack
off the rush,” said Willman in a video clip at the
Sabres’ website. “I think I have good vision and see
the ice well, and make my linemates better around me.”

Following him at 130th overall was Liam Coughlin (South Boston,
Mass.), a center/left wing who was tabbed by the Edmonton Oilers
and who will attend BU this fall. He skated last season with the
Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League, finishing with
18 goals and 45 points.

Seven slots behind Coughlin was Tyler Bird (Andover, Mass.), who
led Kimball Union to the 2014 New England small prep school state
title after scoring 33 goals and tallying 60 points in 37 outings.
Bird, who will join Willman at Brown, was selected by the Columbus
Blue Jackets.

Boston College recruit J.D. Dudek and Maine recruit Nolan Vesey
(North Reading, Mass.) both went in the sixth round.

Dudek, whose father, Joe (Quincy, Mass.), played briefly with
the NFL’s Denver Broncos after starring for Plymouth State
University and meriting Heisman Trophy consideration, was taken
152nd overall by the New Jersey Devils. He was teammates with Bird
at Kimball Union, and collected 9-35-44 points last season in 25
appearances. A native of Auburn, N.H., Dudek also saw action with
the USA Under-18 Team at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,
winning a silver medal.

“He has a significant ways to go, but he has a very high
skill level as is,” said Devils director of scouting David
Conte on New Jersey’s website. “He does have pure,
natural talent, which deviates a little bit from the physical
presence that dominated the early part of our draft.”

Vesey, a left wing, went 158th overall to the Toronto Maple
Leafs. He played last year with the South Shore Kings, where he
notched 26-40-66 points after playing the previous season at Austin
Prep.

The only New Englander chosen in the seventh round was the only
one not on the college track — at least not anymore. Cameron
Darcy (South Boston, Mass.), a Dexter School alumnus who also
toiled with the U.S. NTDP, played nine games with Northeastern
University in 2012-13. He joined Cape Breton of the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League last season, collecting 35-47-82 points in 65
games before being taken 185th overall by the Lightning.

“Cameron is a smart two-way player,” said Tampa
Bay’s Murray. “He has the skills to play with top
players on your first or second line and the defensive commitment
to be on a third or fourth line, so he gives himself a lot of
flexibility to make a team.”

A trio of top players with ties to Boston College also was
selected in Philadelphia. Left wing Sonny Milano and right
wing/center Alex Tuch both went in the first round, among the first
20 choices made. Milano was taken 16th overall by Columbus, and
Tuch followed two picks later when he was taken by the Minnesota
Wild. Both played with the U.S. Under-18 Team last year and will
enroll at The Heights this fall.

“They’re two outstanding players, and were two of
our leading scorers,” said USA’s Cole. “Sonny has
really good hands and passion, and worked really hard on his game
the last two years. Alex is a big power forward with really good
hands who does a great job in the corners. Both of them will be
really good college players.”

Boston College rising freshman netminder Thatcher Demko, who was
ranked the No. 1 North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting,
was taken by the Vancouver Canucks at 36th overall. The 6-foot-3
Demko finished 16-5-3 overall last season with a 2.16 goals-against
average in backstopping the Eagles to the Frozen Four, which was
also held in Philadelphia. BC fell to eventual national champion
Union College in the semifinal round, after winning the NCAA
Northeast Regional in Worcester.

Hockey East had a dozen incoming freshman, and three 2015-16
freshmen, selected, along with five other players who have made
verbal commitments to Hockey East schools, lifting the total to an
all-time league record 21.